On passports and getting back into the US

TwistedJester

So the Quiz Bowl organization at my university might be going to a tournament in Canada in little over a month, and last year, all I needed to get back into the country was photo ID and my birth certificate. I've heard that they've finally made it so that they require a passport to get back into the country, but I've also heard they've been pushing that requirement back since they're really backed up with creating passports. My questions are as follows: First of all, does anyone definitely know whether or not a passport is now required to get back into the US. Second, if I applied for a passport and paid for the expedited service, roughly how long would I have to wait to get the passport?

harvest

A birth certificate and photo ID are still good enough to let you back in.

wasted pixels

I got a passport in July, and from application to passport-in-hand was 14 days. That said, I'm told I was one of the lucky ones.

If you decide to get a passport, make ABSOLUTELY SURE you get a second certified copy of your birth certificate before you apply, because the one you submit with your passport will be tangled up in their system for the duration of your application's processing (or longer).

Goetterdaemmerung

If you can prove that you need the passport quickly (i.e. you have dated travel documents), you can go to a passport agency, pay an expedition fee of around $175, and have it made in a few hours. You'll need to make an appointment over the phone first. I've done it -- I was pretty impressed.

vonPoonBurGer

How would you be getting there? Because according to this page:

Da Gubament wrote:

Implemented on January 23, 2007, ALL PERSONS traveling by air between the United States and Canada, Mexico, Bermuda and the Caribbean region are required to present a passport or other valid travel document to enter or re-enter the United States.

They had an exemption that allowed you to re-enter the States as long as you could show you'd applied for a passport but not yet received it, but that expired at the end of September. Bottom line, if you're flying outside the US or its territories, you must have a passport in hand. If you'd be traveling by land or sea, however, photo ID plus birth certificate are still acceptable, and will be until some time in summer 2008.

TwistedJester

vonPoonBurGer wrote: »

How would you be getting there? Because according to this page:

Da Gubament wrote:

Implemented on January 23, 2007, ALL PERSONS traveling by air between the United States and Canada, Mexico, Bermuda and the Caribbean region are required to present a passport or other valid travel document to enter or re-enter the United States.

They had an exemption that allowed you to re-enter the States as long as you could show you'd applied for a passport but not yet received it, but that expired at the end of September. Bottom line, if you're flying outside the US or its territories, you must have a passport in hand. If you'd be traveling by land or sea, however, photo ID plus birth certificate are still acceptable, and will be until some time in summer 2008.

We're going to be driving there. Awesome.

Thanks a lot guys, you saved me a lot of hassle and money.

Everywhereasign

You might want to throw in your application for a passport. They're getting backlogged and it will only get worse as more people realize they will need one within a year. It'll make getting in and out easier in the future.

Septus

Wasn't there a change in the Canada border policy, like in the last 3-4 weeks?

I know that Washington state, specifically, has a pilot program to allow re-entry with a Driver's License only. I wouldn't see the need for a program like this, if all other states also allowed the use of a Driver's License. Unless the birth certificate is what makes all the difference?

Everywhereasign

Yeah, current policy requires birth certificate and drivers licence when traveling by land or sea. You need the birth certificate to prove that you were born in the country. Citizenship cards are also accepted I believe.

X5

My Fiancée and I took a vacation to Ontario back in February, we called customs ahead of time and they said that because of the change we'd both need our passports.

I did not have mine, so I went to the post office, filled out the info, paid the $175 or whatever it was to expedite it. I had it around 7 days later, was very impressed with the process. I don't know if its been changed since then, but as when I went, I had to have my passport to get back into the united states. However I believe the birthcertificate and drivers license works as well.

vonPoonBurGer

Septus wrote: »

Wasn't there a change in the Canada border policy, like in the last 3-4 weeks?

If there was, it either isn't shown on the Canadian Border Services page, and/or it doesn't apply to US residents. I highly doubt that the Canadian side of the border would be more strict than US Customs. If anything, we would prefer to avoid tightening border security as it hurts our tourism trade, and goes against the conception most Canadians have of our country being open and welcoming. The changes being made on the Canadian side are being done at the insistence of the American side, and are being implemented as late as is possible, from what I gather.